


One False Step

by Stage51



Category: Emergency!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 10:26:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4388264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stage51/pseuds/Stage51
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Johnny Gage trips and falls down the stairs. Will Mike Stoker be able to help him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	One False Step

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just play for a while and send them back to the station.  
> A/N: I don't know a lot of the medical stuff, so please forgive any big mistakes. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

 

“Fuck!”

“Fuck.” he moaned aloud again. “ _I can’t believe what a moron I am.”_

Johnny Gage, firefighter/paramedic extraordinaire and resident klutz lay at the bottom of his stairs in a heap.

_“Ok, Gage. How many times have you told yourself to fix that carpet before someone gets hurt?”_

_“Well I was right, wasn’t I?”_

_“Oh man, I really am losing it, now I’m not only talking to myself, but answering too!”_

He really didn’t want to call a rescue squad, but didn’t know what else to do. His best friend and paramedic partner, Roy DeSoto, had gone on a trip with the family. Roy took his wife, Joanne, and their two young children, Christopher and Jennifer, on a vacation of sorts. Roy and Johnny worked at Station 51 in Carson, California on the “A” shift. Their particular shift had four days off in a row, which was rare. So many of the crewmembers took advantage of this and made plans to get out of town. Roy and Joanne had wanted Johnny to join them, but he felt that he would merely be in the way and so he declined.

Johnny really did feel like family with the DeSoto’s but he also knew the limitations on such things. He and Roy taking off together for a couple of days of fishing or camping was one thing. Horning in on a family vacation, quite another. So when Roy told Johnny of their family plans for the days off and made sure that Johnny understood that he was to come as well, Johnny begged off. He told Roy that he was looking forward to doing work around his house during their down time. Roy shook his head at that and said Johnny was the only person he knew that made his own “Honey-Do” list and then followed it! The truth was Johnny wasn’t so much looking forward to checking off chores on his list as he was in knowing that his partner and family were having a great time at the Grand Canyon.

One of the first chores on Johnny’s list was to tack down that loose carpet at the top of the stairs. Now he could fully appreciate the seriousness of following a list and of having a phone within reach at all times. The phone was over on a small table in the hallway and Johnny was lying there several feet away wondering how he was ever going to get to it. Suddenly the object of his thoughts began to make itself known. Johnny jumped as the abrasive ringing sliced through the quiet of his home. He pushed his way along the hardwood floor mainly using his forearms to keep up the forward momentum. As he got close enough, he grabbed ahold of the small table and knocked it over along with the phone. He could hear noise on the other end of the receiver. He was eventually able to put the phone to his ear and heard the sweetest sound on the planet: Mike Stoker’s obvious worried voice yelling, **“Johnny?! Is that you? Are you alright?!”**

By the time Johnny crawled to the phone he was completely out of breath and kept thinking that Mike was going to think he was an obscene caller.

“Hey, Mike.” Johnny panted into the phone. “I’m here, but I fell down the stairs. I can’t get up and I think my left ankle is broken.”

**_“Oh, no! Okay Johnny, don’t move alright? I’m going to hang up with you, call for help, and then I’m coming over there.”_ **

“No, Mike you don’t have to call anyone. I’m sure I’ll be able to get up by myself in a few minutes, I . . .”

“ ** _Absolutely not, Johnny! Don’t move a muscle, I’m on my way, you got that?”_**

“Thanks, man. Appreciate it.”

And he really did. Johnny couldn’t be happier that it was Mike Stoker coming to assist him. Johnny was lying on the floor in the hallway in an increasing amount of pain, but couldn’t help the small smile escape his lips just thinking that the object of his affection would soon be there to help him. Of course, so would the paramedics and possibly an entire engine crew if Mike had his way. Johnny groaned audibly thinking about who it was that would probably end up at his house. He lived in 16’s district which meant, augh, Brice! Craig Brice the walking rule book would most likely be showing his face along with Bob ‘The Animal’ Bellingham. How those two got along without killing each other was a miracle. People said he and Roy were different but man, Brice and Bellingham were practically two different species!!

Johnny must have dozed off for a few minutes because the next thing he remembered after thinking of Station 16’s paramedics was his eyes opening to someone pounding on the door.

“ _Mike,”_ Johnny thought. “Come on in. Key’s above the door.”

Johnny could hear sirens off in the distance as his front door was opened. It seemed like he kept losing little bits of time, for suddenly he felt heat right next to him and when he opened his eyes, Johnny was peering into the most beautiful clear blue eyes he had ever seen. His vision also had pearly white teeth and a sensual smile. Just as he was going to close his eyes thinking that he was dreaming, his vision spoke to him.

“Johnny. Can you hear me?”

His eyes snapped open as he recognized that voice.

“Hey, Mikey. So glad you made it. I heard sirens. Do you know whose working 16’s today?”

“Nope, and I don’t care either. I just want you taken care of and on your way to Rampart. Now, I’m not gonna touch ya, but can you tell me where it hurts?”

“Um,” Johnny had to really concentrate on this question. He couldn’t believe how hard it was to answer. “My left ankle is really hurtin’ and my back is kinda sore. Um, I seem to be gettin’ a headache and it’s becomin’ really hard to focus on answering your questions.”

As Johnny was giving his explanation, the sirens stopped and Mike knew the squad had arrived. He told Johnny he would be right back and went to let them in. Sure enough, it was Brice and Bellingham. Johnny was feeling worse by the second. He had aches and pains in places he didn’t know existed. Plus his head was really getting bad. It hurt so much he was feeling extremely nauseous and he could hear the blood whooshing in his ears. Johnny desperately wanted to see Mike’s face looming above his but what he saw when he opened his eyes was Craig Brice. It was enough to make one want to curl up and hide for a very long time. But Johnny knew that Mike was there somewhere so he asked.

“Brice, where’s Mike?” queried Johnny.

“Gage, let’s let Bellingham and I ask the questions, shall we?”

“Yeah, ok, but I still want to see Mike.”

“Bellingham, you start on Gage’s vitals while I contact Rampart.”

Bob noticed right away that Johnny’s focus was off. He was squinting like his head was really hurting him and his words were beginning to slur. Mike came into Johnny’s peripheral vision at this point, relaxing Johnny immediately. Vitals showed that Johnny’s bp was 90/63, pulse was 120 and thready and respirations were 16. Johnny’s vitals were indicative of a bleed somewhere internally. The way he was having difficulty focusing and remembering anything that they told him, Brice and Bellingham were leaning towards some kind of bleed in his brain. While Johnny and Mike were watching each other, Johnny lost consciousness. Dr. Brackett had already approved an IV with D5W, but with this latest, he asked for them to send a strip. Mike opened Johnny’s shirt while Bob prepared the pads and then placed them on Johnny’s chest. Brice told Brackett they would be sending the strip lead 2. Dr. Brackett was not too pleased with that either. He added 2 amps of sodium bicarb and oxygen to his original orders.

Johnny was beginning to come around just as the ambulance was arriving. Johnny opened his eyes and called for Mike. Mike immediately took hold of Johnny’s hand and told him not to worry that Mike was right there for him. Johnny gave Mike a very weak smile and suddenly the alarms went off on the defibrillator, his eyes rolled back in his head and he went into V-Fib. Brice shocked him one time and his heart went back into sinus rhythm.

Shocked was a good word for it because that’s exactly what Mike felt, shocked. His knees were like rubber and weren’t cooperating very well. Listening to Dr. Brackett over the bio-phone, Mike thought the good doctor sounded tense and unsure of a positive outcome, but Mike could have been superimposing his own doubts about the situation over to Brackett. All Mike knew for certain was that he was petrified that Johnny wasn’t going to be around much longer and he wasn’t gonna have the chance to tell the man how much he meant to him, how much he loved him, was in fact, in love with him.

Brice and Bellingham did an excellent job of packaging Johnny up for the trip to Rampart. Mike needed his own vehicle so he opted to drive himself to the hospital behind the ambulance. He kept hoping and praying that Johnny was okay. They all arrived at Rampart about the same time. The gurney carrying its precious cargo was lifted out of the back of the ambulance and rolled into Treatment Room 3, per instructions of head nurse, Dixie McCall. Dr. Joe Early had also been paged because he was the neurology specialist in the entire building and Dr. Kelly Brackett trusted Joe with his own life.

For the next 40 minutes or so there was a flurry of activity surrounding Treatment Room 3. There were x-rays to take along with blood and a variety of other tests done to give Johnny the best possible outcome. Mike Stoker was allowed to stay in the room as long as he was well out of the way. Every time Johnny opened his silky, chocolate eyes, they sought out that one person that made him feel safe. Sometimes he found him right away and other times he had to wait because he wasn’t in the room. But Johnny was discovering that it wasn’t Mike’s choice to not be there. Someone was always sending Mike off somewhere with something new to do to keep him busy and occupied.

Dr. Early had finally gotten enough test results back to sit down and explain it all to Johnny. Mike was just going back into the treatment room when Joe arrived. Johnny opened his eyes when he heard footsteps coming into the room. Joe Early had a peacefulness about him. He was always a source of calm. With his kindly knowing eyes he seemed to be able to sum up any given situation and have the correct solution. This instance was no different, Dr. Early seemed to know exactly how to keep Johnny and Mike on an even keel as he was explaining that Johnny’s head was going to have to be cut open. He talked to them about the subdural hematoma that had formed on Johnny’s brain and how it absolutely had to be removed.

As Joe was explaining what would happen to Johnny, Mike unconsciously moved closer and closer to Johnny. Johnny’s tired but frightened eyes sought Mike out as well. Dixie had come into the room while Joe was speaking to the boys and she noticed right away how close and in sync the two firefighters seemed. Mike had just placed his hand on Johnny’s shoulder and Johnny leaned into the touch. Cobalt locked with chocolate as they searched for comfort in each other.

“How much longer before you can help him, doc? He’s in so much pain.” Mike asked.

“We’ll be taking him up directly, Mike.” said Dr. Early.

“How long will it take? When will I feel like me again?”

“I can’t guarantee how long, Johnny. I would say at least four hours. And then it depends on how large the hematoma is.”

“Johnny, Roy gave me his emergency contact numbers just in case. Would you like me to call him and let him know what’s happening?” asked Dixie.

“NO! Absolutely not, Dix. I don’t want his vacation time with the family disturbed at all. Besides all he’d do is come here and sit and stare at me and worry if I’m gonna be ok.”

“And I’ll be right here the whole time, so Johnny will not be left alone,” said Mike.

“All right then, it seems like you’ve got everything under control. But I have to say, Johnny, I doubt if Roy will be too pleased to come home and find out what happened to you and he wasn’t called.” warned Dixie.

“My choice, Dix.” “When can we go, Doc?”

“Right now, Johnny. We go right now.” Dr. Early announced.

Mike would have loved another few minutes with Johnny before he was taken for surgery, but he understood the urgency as well. The longer they waited, the worse things could get and as for Johnny’s side of it, he just wanted to hurry up and get it over with. So he walked with Johnny’s gurney to the operating room doors, let go of his hand and told him that he was going to be just fine and that Mike would be waiting in his room.

“No, Mikey, please you can go home. I’m gonna be out of it for a long time, won’t know if you’re here or not. You should just leave and be comfortable.”

“Christ, Gage! What am I gonna do with you? If you honestly think that I would leave you here now and just go home and watch TV you’re sicker than I thought you were!”

“Sorry, Mike. I just don’t want ya hangin’ around Rampart when you could be home doin’ somethin’ fun.”

“Johnny, the only fun things I want to be doing are with you!” Mike said with sparkling eyes.

Johnny had a kind of funny look on his face and Mike started to get uncomfortable. Maybe, he thought, he had overstepped his bounds. Maybe Johnny didn’t feel the same way about him that he felt for Johnny. But then Johnny’s face broke out into his famous crooked Gage grin.

“Okay, Mikey, we can make plans to do all of those fun things after my brain surgery!”

Mike patted Johnny’s shoulder as the interns pushed the gurney to the operating room. Mike went and sat in the OR waiting area perfectly still. Dixie McCall came along and sat with him. Mike told Dixie that he felt guilty over not telling Roy about Johnny and Johnny’s own request that Roy not be told. Dixie told Mike that she could fully appreciate his predicament because she was in the same boat.

 

Roy DeSoto had just gotten down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on a mule. He was hot, sunburned, had a very sore ass, and was extremely grumpy. At least Joanne and the kids were having a really good time. Roy really couldn’t place his sour mood on any one thing. He had woken up this morning on the proverbial ‘wrong side of the bed.’ He kept thinking that if Johnny had come with them, he would have loved the mule ride and making fun of Roy. But instead of cheering him up, thoughts of Johnny were making Roy nervous and he was getting a really bad feeling in his gut. He just knew that something bad had happened to his best friend and he wasn’t there to help him. That in itself was enough to upset him. The other problem was the family would be down the bottom of the canyon for two days, so he wouldn’t be able to get to a phone to find out what happened to his partner. He thought about telling Joanne what he was feeling and that he was going to go back up to a phone, but didn’t want to upset her. She, Chris, and Jen had all been having a ball since they flew into Flagstaff that morning. Roy was going to have to paste a smile on his face and have a good time, even if it killed him! He just had to trust that someone had helped Johnny this morning.

 

That ‘someone’ was now sitting in an uncomfortable plastic orange chair waiting to hear if Johnny was alive or d… NO! he wouldn’t let his mind go there, not at all. When Dixie walked back into the OR waiting area, she found Mike Stoker still sitting in the exact spot she had left him in over four hours ago. He was surrounded by empty and half empty Styrofoam coffee cups. She picked them all up and threw them in the trash, then got Mike a fresh cup. He took the cup from Dixie by automation and just sat there staring off into space. Finally, Drs. Early and Brackett came through the OR doors. The first thing that Mike noticed was that they were covered in blood, Johnny’s blood, sweaty and exhausted. The second thing he noted was the fact that both men wore a bit of a smile. It wasn’t much, but enough to relax Mike a bit as he jumped to his feet to ask about Johnny.

Brackett motioned Mike to sit back down and he and Joe Early joined him. Dixie had followed behind the men and grabbed cups of coffee for them. Dr. Early did the initial talking. He told Mike that Johnny was resting comfortably. He was concerned when they first opened the skull but he believed they got the entire hematoma taken care of.

“But I don’t understand what took so long. You told me around two hours and it’s been way over four.” questioned Mike.

“Any operation is risky Mike. But dealing with the head is even more so. The hematoma was extremely large and took an awfully long time to deal with.” countered Dr. Early.

“But the point is, Johnny came through just fine and will be in recovery for an hour or so. Then we will send him up to ICU. Mike you are welcome to go up there and see him. I will make sure the nurses understand to leave you alone.” said Dr. Brackett.

“Thanks Doc, I really appreciate that, especially with Roy not here. I don’t want Johnny to be alone.” Mike said.

“No problem, Mike. You may not be a paramedic, but so far you have done just fine taking care of Johnny. I think he’s very lucky to have you as a friend.”

“Well, thank you Dr. Brackett, but _I’m_ the lucky one,” Mike said with a smile.

“Okay, Mike. We’re all great and we all love John Gage. How about we stop this mutual admiration society and get back to work, huh Kel?” asked Early with a chuckle.

“Yeah, Joe. Let’s go see who’s been minding the store,” stated Brackett.

All three stood there for a couple of seconds, turned their heads to each other and said in unison, “Dixie!!”

Kel and Joe headed back down to the ER and Mike went back to his uncomfortable orange chair to await someone coming to take him to ICU. He once again contemplated calling Roy but knew he was too far away to do much good and Johnny would probably still be kind of out of it by the time Roy got home. Mike had tried to call all the other guys during his four hour wait. He felt badly that he only got to speak with Cap. Marco and Chet had taken off to some fairgrounds for a couple of days and of course Roy was also away.

After sitting there for a few minutes, Mike decided to call Cap and let him know that Johnny made it through the surgery. He got up and walked over to the bank of pay phones on the back wall of the ICU waiting area which was unusually empty today. Mike put his dime in the phone and dialed the very familiar number.

“ ** _Hello, Stanley residence”_**

“Hey Cap, it’s Mike”

**_“Mike, how’s our boy doin’?”_ **

“He’s out of surgery and Dr. Early feels that he got the entire hematoma. He’s pretty confident but guarded that Johnny’s gonna be fine”

**_“Oh, that’s terrific news, Mike. How are_ ** **you _doin’?”_**

“Me? Oh I’m fine, Cap. I’m not the one who just had brain surgery”

**_“Maybe not, Mike. But you’ve been there since this whole thing started. It’s very nerve wracking. Did the docs say when we’d be able to see him?”_ **

“Well, he’s in recovery right now and they are goin’ ta come get me after he’s moved to ICU. Not sure how long they’ll let me stay tonight. So I would say prob’ly sometime tomorrow.”

**_“Oh okay and the Mrs. wanted you to know that you are welcome to come over here anytime. Like tonight after seeing Johnny. She’s got plenty of food for you and we got an extra bed, so please feel free to come, Mike.”_ **

“Wow, thanks Cap that’s really very nice of you and Mrs. Stanley. Umm I’ll let you know what’s up after I see Johnny, is that okay?”

**_“That’s perfectly alright, Mike. Hey let John know that we are all thinking of him and I will be there as soon as they let me.”_ **

“I will, Cap and thanks for everything. Talk to you later, bye”

With that, Stoker hung up the phone and went back to his hard, orange chair. He had just got his ass in a halfway comfortable position when this little perky blonde came bouncing into the waiting area and told Mike that Dr. Early had sent her to come get him to go see Mr. Gage. So Mike got up and followed Miss Perky down the hall and in through the double doors designated ICU.

He was led all the way down the corridor to a cubicle right across from the nurses’ station. As Mike started into see Johnny, Drs. Early and Brackett came out to meet him and explain what he was about to see. They told him about all the machines and IV’s that Johnny was hooked up to and also the huge bandage on his head where the surgery took place. They explained that he had some contusions on his face where he fell down the stairs that hadn’t shown up right away. Mike listened intently to the doctors and steeled himself for seeing Johnny.

Mike walked slowly to the bed where Johnny was lying. He took in the entire scene at once. Johnny had so many machines beeping and so many tubes running in and out of his body. Mike just wanted to scream or cry or hit something. But instead he quietly moved right up close and looked down at his angel’s face. The face that was currently filled with black and blue marks and swollen around the left eye. He also had a big, bulky bandage around his head and Mike knew instantly that they would have had to shave his head. Johnny’s hair would be gone under that bandage. He needed to know one thing so he asked.

“Can he hear me?”

“We don’t know for sure, Mike. But it’s a good possibility that he can, so you should talk to him. See if you can get him to wake up a little more.” said Dr. Early.

Mike nodded and moved right up to the head of the bed and sat down on Johnny’s right side. He took Johnny’s hand in his, bent down and spoke softly right into his ear. Mike told Johnny that he was right there with him and he wasn’t gonna leave. Then Mike asked Johnny to open those beautiful chocolate eyes of his. Mike needed to see them.

There was no response, initially, but then Mike felt a light pressure as Johnny squeezed his hand and his eyes began to flutter. Mike was ecstatic and turned to tell the Drs. and discovered he was alone with Johnny. So Mike felt that he could say what he really wanted to say to Johnny.

“Come on, babe. Open those gorgeous chocolate eyes of yours. Let me see you, ok?” Mike waited patiently while holding Johnny’s hand and his breath. He was suddenly rewarded when Johnny’s eyes actually opened and he looked right up into Mike’s face. Mike gave Johnny’s one of his 1,000 watt smiles and Johnny knew at that moment that he’d finally found home and it was with Mike Stoker. He felt totally at peace and in love. Of course he also felt like hell. He didn’t think there was a spot on his entire body that didn’t hurt, and his head? It felt like there was a little man with a gigantic sledgehammer banging away in there.

“Hey, Mikey. Did you happen to get the license number of the truck that hit me?”

“Oh Johnny, I can only imagine how much you’re hurting. I’m so sorry, love.”

“Yeah, actually my head is really killing me and making me nauseous too. But none of this is your fault, babe.”

“Let me go tell the docs that you’re in this much pain. They should be able to give you something to help.”

“Thank you so much, babe. I feel so lucky to have you here, helping me. Especially since I’m only in here cuz I’m such a moron.”

“Hey, I don’t want to hear that kind of talk, alright? I’ll be right back.” Mike bent down and gave Johnny a peck on the cheek before letting go of his hand and going out to find one of Johnny’s doctors. Johnny stayed very still since any movement at all made his head worse and he was also still feeling the warmth that Mike’s lips left on his cheek. Johnny felt like he was melting into his pillow and he was really enjoying the feeling, except for the damn fuckin’ headache!

Joanne DeSoto was getting more and more aggravated with her husband. Roy had been sullen and mopey since he got up that morning. She understood that he didn’t enjoy the mule ride down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, she wasn’t totally thrilled with it herself. But she certainly wasn’t in a foul mood over it the way Roy seemed to be. She had tried asking him what was bothering him to no avail. Now that the sun was setting and they were sitting around the campfire, she was insisting that he tell her what was wrong with him. Roy finally broke down and told Joanne that he had a feeling that something bad had happened to Johnny. No, not just a feeling, but something pulling at his very soul that demanded he call Rampart General Hospital because Roy absolutely knew that Johnny was there, as a patient. Joanne did not think Roy some kind of a nut, but rather gently asked him why on earth he hadn’t just told her that before they had gone down to the bottom of the Canyon. He said it was because he didn’t want to spoil their vacation time. She just shook her head at him and said that they would all go back up to the top in the morning. Joanne didn’t feel it was safe for Roy to try to go back up right then because it was almost dark and being all rock and not knowing the area could prove dangerous or even deadly for him. Roy agreed although he did wish he could have taken off right then.

Mike was back by Johnny’s side within minutes with Dr. Early in tow. The good doctor was going to give Johnny some more pain medication but needed to make sure Johnny was doing ok first. So he tagged along with Mike to ask questions.

“So Johnny, what’s your whole name?”

“John Roderick Gage.”

“When is your birthday?”

“August 28th”

“Do you know where you are?”

“Rampart General Hospital”

“Do you know why you’re here?”

“Yeah, Doc, cuz I’m a moron, that’s why I’m here!”

“Johnny, stop that!” Mike interjected.

“Explain yourself, John. What do you mean?” asked Dr. Early.

“Cuz, Doc. If I had just tacked the carpet down on the landing at the top of the stairs, I never would have tripped over it and fallen down the stairs,” replied Johnny.

“Ok, Johnny. I am satisfied that you are fully aware of your situation. The nurse will be in a just a minute with some medication that will have you feeling much better,” Dr. Early said with a pat to Johnny’s shoulder.

“Thanks Doc. Seriously, my head feels like it’s gonna explode and my stomach’s doin’ flip-flops!”

“I’m sorry, Johnny. I didn’t realize you were so nauseous, I’ll put in an order for some Phenergan. That should stop the nausea and prevent vomiting.”

“Great, thank you, for everything.”

As Dr. Early went off to give the nurse his orders, Mike sat back down with Johnny. He took his hand again and caressed his cheek. Mike then told Johnny he should try to sleep, he looked really tired. Johnny said he would sleep once he had the medications. Right now he couldn’t sleep cuz it hurt too much. Mike shut off the harsh overhead light and just left the soft glow ones on in the corner of the room. Johnny gave a weak smile to Mike as his eyes were sliding shut.

The nurse came in directly and injected the medications into his IV port. Johnny could feel the meds start into his vein. They stung a little but were mostly cold. Immediately following that sensation was the realization that his head wasn’t hurting like before and he didn’t feel like he was going to throw up. Johnny opened his eyes long enough to look at Mike and tell him to go get some rest and then he was out. Mike was glad that Johnny was sleeping but he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. He didn’t want to leave Johnny alone but Mike also knew he wouldn’t be much good to Johnny tomorrow if he didn’t get any rest himself. He started thinking that Roy really needed to know what was going on with his partner and best friend. Even if it did interfere with his vacation time. Mike knew that Johnny had all the information of the DeSoto’s trip at his house, so Mike made the decision to leave and spend the night at Johnny’s. He would then see if he could get in touch with Roy first thing in the morning and then get back to the hospital before Johnny woke up.

Mike bent down and gently kissed Johnny’s cheek and then the back of his hand and left the cubicle. He stopped at the nurses’ station and told them that he would be back in the morning and where he would be. Nurse Craddock took all of this information down and told him not to worry, they would take good care of Johnny while Mike was gone. She was a kindly woman of about 50 and Mike liked her very much. Mike hurried out the ER doors of Rampart and suddenly stopped and smelled the air. He hadn’t been outside of the hospital walls in so many hours he had forgotten what fresh air smelled like. He then made a beeline for his fire engine red pickup truck and took off for Johnny’s place. He still had the key from all those hours ago so he let himself in and headed straight for the hall table where Johnny kept the phone and all of the public and private phone books. First Mike had to pick the table up from where Johnny had knocked it over trying to answer when Mike had called him that morning. He remembered Johnny had joked one day that his private phone book was practically public so it didn’t matter where he kept it. Mike found the book he sought and inside was a paper with the DeSoto’s entire itinerary including phone numbers. Mike left the book next to the phone, locked the house up, got into the bed in the guestroom and was asleep the second his head hit the pillow. Mike startled himself awake sometime in the middle of the night. He checked his watch and found that it was a little after 3 am. He got up, with his heart still beating wildly and called Rampart to make sure that Johnny was okay. Mike was able to speak to Nurse Craddock who let him know that Johnny was sound asleep and had been ever since Mike had left. She then told Mike to go and get some more sleep and they would see him back at the hospital in the morning. So, Mike hung up the phone and went back to bed. He fell into a deep sleep and didn’t wake up until 9 the next morning. First Mike called the hospital and then he sat down on the small chair Johnny kept by the phone and called the number of the Ranger Station.

Mike talked to a Ranger Argent to whom he explained who he was and who he was trying to get in touch with and why. Argent wrote it all down and told Mike that the DeSoto family was at the bottom of the canyon. He would be able to get word to them shortly by helicopter, then a relay system would call Mike back. Mike was grateful to the ranger and said that he would be right by the phone.

Mike decided to make himself useful while he was there and went out to the kitchen. He had to shake his head at how meticulous Gage was. Not a dish in the sink or a chair out of place. Mike started a pot of coffee for his breakfast. He really wasn’t hungry so he figured the coffee would suffice. Everything neat as a pin, in fact every room was in perfect order. After he started the coffee he went down to the basement to the work area Johnny kept, found a large hammer and the carpet tacks and took care of the carpet problem for good. Mike pounded those tacks in within an inch of their lives. He had just finished the last tack when the phone rang.

“Hello, Gage residence. Stoker speaking.”

**_“Hey, Mike. It’s Roy. How bad is Johnny and what happened?”_ **

“Well, first of all Roy, he’s gonna be just fine. He had a subdural hematoma and Dr. Early operated and believes he got it all.”

**_“Oh my God, Mike! Is Early_ ** **positive _he got it all?”_**

“As much as he can be, Roy. Johnny is in ICU now and he was awake for a little while and they had just given him pain medication cuz his head was hurting right before I came here to his house last night. Not sure of the exact time, but it was close to midnight. He was just drifting off when I left. He told me to leave and get something to eat and rest, so I stayed in his guestroom last night. I did get up and called the ICU around 3 am and he was sleeping and I just called about an hour ago and he’s been in and out of it. I will be going back shortly but wanted to talk to you first.”

**_“Well, thanks for calling Mike. I was gonna call as soon as I could get out of this canyon cuz I just knew it. I had this feeling in the bottom of my gut that something happened to him. So exactly how did this happen?”_ **

“He tripped over that piece of loose carpeting at the top of the landing on the stairs and went down the entire flight.”

**_“Oh, God, no,”_** Roy said practically to himself. **_“So how did he get help? How did you get involved in this? Don’t get me wrong, I am SO glad you did, Mike!”_**

“It was a fluke really. I called Johnny to see if he wanted to go bowling or get something to eat and the phone rang like 30 times and I got that ‘there’s something wrong’ feeling so I just let it ring. He finally answered and I could tell he wasn’t himself. I asked and he said he had fallen down the stairs and thought his ankle was broken, which it is by the way. So I told him not to move and I was going to call the paramedics and that I would be right over myself. I know he wasn’t happy cuz he was expecting Brice and sure enough, Johnny was right!”

**_“Well, as awful as this is, I’m just glad to know what I was so afraid of and I’m so thankful that you were right there for him, Mike. I bet Johnny’s grateful as well.”_ **

“Yeah, he seemed to be okay with me being the one to help him out, I mean I’m no you so I really didn’t know what to do medically except I knew enough not to move him. He wanted to try to get up when I arrived, but I wouldn’t let him.”

**_“Good for you, Mike. You probably kept him from doing any more damage to himself.”_ **

“I don’t know about any of that, but I do know that I was glad that I could help out. You know I think an awful lot about Johnny.”

Mike wasn’t sure how much Roy actually knew about Johnny or his dating preferences. But he really wanted Roy to know that he cared a lot about Johnny. Roy seemed to be receptive to what Mike was telling him, anyway.

**_“Yeah, I was pretty sure you did, Mike. I tried to tell Johnny but he seemed to think, well… it sounds like you two worked it out so it doesn’t matter now. Well look Ranger Argent is letting me know that my time is up. I will inform the rest of the family and you give Johnny our love. We will be back home in two days and then I’ll be right over there to see him. Thanks again so much Mike for calling and for taking such good care of Johnny.”_ **

“I will give Johnny the message from you and your family, Roy. Please enjoy the rest of your trip. Johnny is obviously not well, but he’s doing okay.”

**_“So did you pound the tacks in so they will never come out?” Roy chuckled._ **

“Yeah, I guess I did at that! Talk later Roy and safe trip home for all of you.”

**_“Thanks, and bye Mike!”_ **

Mike felt more at peace than he had since this whole thing with Johnny had started. He glanced at the time and was a little surprised that it was almost 11 in the morning. But considering everything that had happened over the 24 hours, he was more surprised it wasn’t much later. He decided to call the hospital and find out how Johnny was doing before he headed back. Mike lucked out and got Nurse Craddock. She was very sweet and kind on the phone. She told Mike that Johnny was sleeping comfortably and she had just checked on him 3 minutes ago and given him more pain medication. She felt that Johnny would sleep for quite a while and that Mike could take his time getting back there. Mike told her that he was okay and that he would be back into see Johnny within the next half hour. Since the entire ICU had standing orders for Mike Stoker to visit John Gage at any time night or day, Estelle Craddock wasn’t about to argue with the young man who cared so much about his friend. She did worry, however, over Mr. Stoker’s health.

“ ** _Okay then, Mr. Stoker. We will be expecting you,”_** Nurse Craddock said with a hint of a smile.

“Thank you, mam and please, it’s Mike.”

**_“Fine, Mike as long as you stop calling me mam and start calling me Estelle.”_ **

“You got a deal, Estelle. See you soon.”

True to his word, Mike was at Johnny’s cubicle within 20 minutes. Mike didn’t run into anyone else along the way so he walked right into Johnny’s space. His heart melted as he stood there looking down upon Johnny’s bruised face. His left eye was now almost swollen shut and his entire face looked like someone had given him a beating. Johnny appeared to be sleeping so Mike quietly went over to his right side and sat down in the chair sitting alongside the bed. Just this little movement caused Johnny to stir and open his eyes which was difficult with his bruises and made him moan. Mike jumped up immediately to soothe Johnny. Mike gave Johnny a fabulous smile and a peck on the cheek and Johnny gave Mike a weak but heartfelt smile back.

“Hey, Mikey. I knew you’d be back. You don’t look like you got much rest, though,” Johnny barely whispered.

“Uh no I got some sleep while I was gone, babe. I had a few things to take care of and your nurse assured me that you would be asleep for quite a while.”

“So let me guess, you tacked down the carpet on my stairs and you called Roy,” smirked Johnny.

“Yeah I did. Ya mad at me?”

“No, babe. I don’t think I could ever be really mad atcha. I just love ya so much, Mike,” Johnny announced a bit embarrassed.

By this time Mike had moved to sit on the bed so he could touch Johnny. Mike was finding that he felt very alone if he wasn’t in close proximity of him and Johnny wasn’t complaining with the touching either. Mike bent down and kissed Johnny’s lips. Johnny moaned into Mike’s mouth and opened his lips enough to let Mike’s tongue snake its way in. The two stayed connected like that for what seemed a lifetime and less than a second. When they finally parted they just stared at each other with eyes full of love. Johnny looking at Mike saw a glimpse of guilt.

“Mikey, what’s wrong?” Johnny asked getting worried.

“I was just thinking that if you hadn’t fallen down the stairs, we wouldn’t have shared our feelings with each other and it’s not that I’m happy that you got hurt or anything so I guess I’m feeling guilty about where we are now.”

“Well, Mikey I’m the one who got his head cut open and I feel just great about where you and I are, so I would say that sometimes one false step can lead to a lifetime of sure footedness, as long as it’s with you, Mike!”

  


  


 

 

 

 

 

 

  


 

  


  


  


  


 

 

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